Quinn Fabray Does Not Do Manual Labor
by Lonesome Bird
Summary: Full title is: Quinn Fabray Does Not Do Manual Labor  Unless It's Summer and She Really Needs the Cash . Quinn finds a summer job...and a little more than that. Set after the second season.  Faberry, some Brittana and Samcedes on the side.


So...I'm a really shitty updater and I really apologize for that. I have every intention of finishing _All it Took_, I'm just incredibly busy with school right now. So for the moment, have the first part of what I plan to be a 2 or 3 chapter fic. I wasn't originally going to post this until I was completely done with it, but I felt really bad about being so inactive. So, here you go for now. Enjoy? Once again, I apologize for being such a shitty updater.

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><p><strong>PART ONE<strong>

Quinn really wasn't certain why exactly she opted to take this fucking job, but she was really starting to question her sanity (as if she weren't already doing that enough). It was summer and now that her da- …now that the divorce papers were finally through and Russell Fabray was officially out of both her and her mother's lives, Quinn needed some sort of job to add to her dwindling college fund. Unfortunately, jobs for teens in Lima were hard to come by. There was a recession going on, after all (and at least she knew what a recession was; Sam had told her about Jesse St. James not knowing what a recession was and she had nearly choked because she had been laughing so hard).

So Quinn Fabray sucked up her pride, and started to look for "Now Hiring" signs wherever she could. Hardware stores, fast food joints, bowling alleys, grocery stores, everywhere. No one was hiring. Not a pizza place could afford to make her their delivery girl or a store, their stock girl. You'd think they'd be scrambling for a hot seventeen-year old to do their dirty work, but apparently not.

Quinn Fabray was fucked.

That was, until Sam came along.

After Nationals in New York, Quinn had been able to repair a few friendships that she had lost along the way to her golden-paved, prom queen path. When she had volunteered to watch his brother and sister after his dad lost his job, they weren't really friends again. It was more like…Quinn sympathized with him. She knew what it was like to be homeless. Things were still a little too awkward between them to call it a friendship. She wasn't sure if they'd be able to get past her transgressions. Fortunately for her, Sam was a forgiving guy. The first Friday evening after school had ended, Sam had shown up at Quinn's door…with a stack of movies and Mercedes in tow.

"Hey girl," Mercedes had said with a smile, "we thought you might be lonely so we decided to grace you with our presence."

Sam had followed Mercedes in, giving Quinn his trademark, big-lipped and eternally goofy smile.

Just like that, she had two friends back in her life. It was nice. Not to say that Brittany and Santana hadn't waltzed back in; they certainly had, thanks to their surprising encounter in New York. But more often than not, Quinn felt as if she were intruding upon their relationship. Quinn knew that they had a lot of things to work out on their own, and didn't want to bog them down with her own numerous issues. She may not have had them all the time, but Quinn knew that in times when she really needed them, Brittany and Santana would be there. That was enough for now.

So… this job thing.

Quinn had mentioned to both Mercedes and Sam one day that she was having issues finding proper employment. Sam had managed to snag a job at the local Abercrombie and Fitch at the mall ("I swear, I will kill you if you tell anyone! The pay is good and Mercedes can come and visit me!") and Mercedes was working at the clerical desk at her church.

"I've looked everywhere," Quinn said with an exasperated sigh. "If I can't find anything, I'm going to have a lot of problems when college comes around." Quinn glanced up at the couple sitting in front of her, and saw Mercedes give Sam a sharp jab with her elbow. "What?"

"Sam was just telling me yesterday that he knows someone who might be able to offer you a job…"

"What? Sam, who? What sort of job?" Sam grimaced and shoved a french fry in his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, took a sip of his drink, and repeated the whole process. "_Sam_. What is the problem?"

"It's not really your…kind of job."

"Try me. I'm desperate."

Sam sighed and glanced at Mercedes before turning back to Quinn. He leaned forward slightly and put his head in his hand.

"Okay, so there's this guy that works at A and F with me. His uncle owns this company that mows lawns and does landscaping and stuff like that. He was going to work for him, but got the job at the mall and opted for that instead. So…there's an open spot at the company."

"Open, as of when?"

"As of earlier today."

Quinn sat back in her seat and thought for a moment. Finally, she bit her lip, growled in frustration, and looked back up at Sam and Mercedes (who both looked slightly startled at her growl, which apparently hadn't been as quiet as she had originally thought).

"Call him. I want the job."

And that was how Quinn Fabray came to work for a landscaping company.

-0-0-0-

Really, things could be worse…okay, maybe not.

The job sucked. It sucked worse than Finn Hudson's kissing skills, and that was saying something significant. It wasn't so much the physical labor part; three years with Sue Sylvester had prepared Quinn for nothing less than a zombie apocalypse or nuclear winter. But the heat, combined with the fact that she worked terrible hours and with men who did nothing but ogle her all day long made for decidedly hellish working conditions.

But Quinn was making money for the first time in her life. Her own money that she could spend on whatever she wanted (like, um, college maybe?) and that Russell Fabray could not take from her if he decided to show back up in her life again. Plus, hello, she was getting a wicked tan and not a bad work out every day. So all in all, she supposed things could have been so much worse.

On a particular Tuesday afternoon, Quinn's boss called her to the front yard of the house that her team was working on. It was hot outside, up in the nineties, and Quinn had been moving dead tree branches and lifting bags of mulch since eight that morning. She was ready to go home and sleep for about twelve hours.

"My eyes are up here, _Jackson_," she snapped as she passed by one of the other boys who she worked with. "If you're going to stare at my ass, at least be discreet about it."

Jackson grimaced and turned back to shoveling dirt into a wheel barrow. Quinn rolled her eyes and continued to the front yard. When she arrived, she saw her boss, Ted, standing near his truck, cell phone glued to his ear. When he saw Quinn, he beckoned for her to come to him. When she got closer, he snapped his phone shut.

"I've got another job for you tomorrow, Fabray," he said.

"What about this one?" Quinn asked, secretly relieved to be done with this house. The woman who owned it was a nightmare. One of the guys had accidentally left a single weed sticking up from her garden, and she had refused to pay until Ted had offered to give her free flowers for the new installment.

"We should be done by the end of the day with this one. If not, you, me, and maybe two other guys can go on ahead tomorrow while the rest finish up here. Besides, I figured you'd want to get away from all of these eggheads," Ted said with a grin and a glance towards the backyard. Quinn smiled brightly back.

"Thank you, Ted. So what's tomorrow's project going to be?"

"It's actually looking like it is going to be about a week-long deal, if not more," Ted replied, pulling out a small notebook from his pocket and flipping through several pages. "Mulching, cutting bushes, planting new bushes and a few trees, installing a fountain, and building a small berm and wall in the backyard. Also, the fence needs to be painted and repaired, as does some of the siding on the house. There's a few other things that involve a pool as well. Lots to do."

Quinn groaned inwardly, but nodded. Hey, more work meant more money.

"Great. I'll be there. What time?"

Ted gave Quinn the details she needed, and then sent her back to work with instructions to call Jackson and one of the other guys up so he could give them instructions. Two long hours later, Quinn was finally able to drag herself home, throw herself into the shower, and then barely choke down some dinner before sliding a dvd into her laptop and falling into her bed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone buzzed. Quinn groaned, but grabbed her phone anyway. She groaned again when she saw who the message was from.

**Santana Ho-pez: Bitch, where have you been?**

** Quinn (You): Nice to hear from you too. I've been in Lima, just like you.**

** Santana Ho-pez: Um yeah, but you've been MIA for the whole summer thus far. What gives?**

** Quinn (You): Unlike some people, I have a job. **

** Santana Ho-pez: No way. I thought I saw you working downtown on the corner. How's the sex industry working for you?**

** Quinn (You): Ha ha. At this point, I'd rather be a prostitute. I'm so tired, San.**

** Santana Ho-pez: What the hell kind of job are you doing, Fabray?**

** Quinn (You): You're going to laugh. **

** Santana Ho-pez: Spit it out, already. Britt-Britt is waiting on me.**

** Quinn (You): Ugh. I'm doing a bunch of manual labor for this lawn mowing/contracting company. I've been picking up branches and moving mulch pretty much every day. What's up with you and Brittany any way? Have you worked things out?**

** Santana Ho-pez: Hahaha, lucky you, Q. If I drive by you when you're working, are you going to catcall me? And me and Britts…that's a conversation for another time. Let's get coffee sometime this week. **

** Quinn (You): Sounds good. I'll let you know when I'm not working. We have this big project starting tomorrow that's going to be a week, if not more. Don't know the hours yet. Bye, S. Tell Brittany hello for me. See you soon.**

** Santana Ho-pez: Bye, Quinnie.**

** Quinn (You): Bitch, don't call me that.**

** Santana Ho-pez: ;)**

Despite the fact that her back was killing her, Quinn smiled. Before she passed out for the night, she changed Santana's name in her phone back to simply "Santana."

-0-0-0-

The next day, Quinn was up at eight and was out the door by eight thirty. She followed the instructions Ted had given her, and pulled up to the front curve of the house by eight forty-five. The house looked strangely familiar, and Quinn couldn't shake the feeling that she'd been there before…she shook the feeling away and walked around towards the back yard and through the gate, just as Ted had instructed her to do.

Ted was standing in the backyard just in front of the pool, talking to the owners of the house when Quinn walked through. He turned away from the two men that he was speaking to, and smiled at her. Wait…two men?

_Is that…? Oh shit. God, why do you hate me?_

"Fabray, this is Hiram Berry and his husband Leroy. We're going to be working on their yard all of this week."

Quinn felt a slight panic rise up in her chest as she stepped forward to shake both men's hands. She saw Leroy, the tall, African American man raise an eyebrow at her before glancing at his husband. He held out his hand to her.

"Fabray…you're Quinn, right?"

"That's me, sir. I go to school with Rachel."

"That's right. I didn't quite recognize you with your haircut. I don't think I ever would have taken you for the landscaping type of girl either."

The coldness in his voice was evident. Great, he probably knew about all the crap that she had pulled with Rachel and he was going to ask her to leave, which meant no money, which meant no college, which meant Lima forever, which meant a real estate license, which meant-

"Quinn?"

Quinn whipped her head around towards the porch, startled out of her slowly inflating panic attack. Of course, it was Rachel. Of. Fucking. Course. It was always Rachel. Just when she thought this job couldn't get any worse. It wasn't that Quinn had anything against Rachel. At least, not anymore. They had their fair share of bickering of course, but after the whole prom queen debacle, Quinn didn't have it in her heart to torture the girl any more. She wasn't really sure why she had hated the girl so much in the first place. Sure, she had planned to ruin her at Nationals, but that plan had quickly fallen through when she had finally broken down thanks to Santana and Brittany's intervention. They did have a very delicate friend…well, some sort of relationship growing before school had let out, and admittedly, that had been kind of nice. But Quinn hadn't heard from Rachel since summer had started, and therefore whatever that relationship was, had faded.

But really, she could care less about Rachel anymore. She didn't care about Finn. She didn't care about Rachel. She didn't care what Rachel did with Finn, because Finn was worthless. That was that.

"What are you doing here, Quinn?" Rachel asked, walking down the steps of the porch, a wary, yet curious look in her eye.

"I'm going to be working in your back yard this summer," she responded quietly, her eyes flickering quickly back towards the Berry men. They were still looking at her suspiciously.

"I didn't take you for the landscaping type of girl."

Leroy let out a loud chuckle.

"That's exactly what I said, baby girl."

Quinn felt herself blush, but looked back up at the brunette.

"It was the only job I could get on such short notice. I don't mind it."

"Quinn's a very good worker. Probably one of my best, actually. I'm lucky to have her." Ted said, patting her on the back.

"That doesn't surprise me," Rachel said to Ted, "Quinn has always been a very determined individual."

"You're quite right," Ted said with another smile. He turned back to the Berry men. "There's two more boys who are going to be showing up soon, and after today there will be more people working as well; so until then how about we talk plans and prices?"

Hiram and Leroy nodded and began to walk around the yard with Ted, explaining their preferences. This left Quinn in an awkward position. Of course. She supposed on some level, she deserved this. Karma couldn't let her go that easily, not after two and a half years of torturing the small girl in front of her.

"How have you been, Quinn?" Rachel's tone was surprisingly soft. "Sam and Mercedes told me that they see you every once and a while, but other than that you seem to have disappeared off of everyone's radar."

Quinn bit the inside of her cheek. Surprisingly, she was not annoyed. She anticipated being annoyed with Rachel. She had expected it. That had always been her first reaction to the girl in the past. But now…nothing. She was neutral. There really wasn't a better word to describe it.

"I'm doing okay, Rachel. Just working a lot. Trying to keep busy, make some money. Nothing big."

Rachel sat down on a patio chair and crossed her legs, still looking up at Quinn with those wide eyes and doe-lashes.

_Damn, when did Rachel's legs get so long? Wait…what?_

"I'm sorry if this a bit blunt-"

"You're always blunt," Quinn said with a smile. Rachel smiled back.

"True. But as I was saying…well, it's a bit of a relief to see you, Quinn. I was worried about you. Near the end of the year you just seemed so…I don't know. You seemed very lonely."

Quinn felt her defenses rise, but bit back the sharp reply that was dying to roll off her tongue. She had to bite hard. It didn't really work.

"I suppose having one's boyfriend leave you for a girl he told you he didn't love anymore can leave one a bit lonely," she snapped.

Rachel cast her eyes down immediately and bit her lip before responding.

"I…I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't want for things to happen like they did. Ultimately, I know the choice was Finn's and not mine, but still. I can't help but feel responsible. I never wanted you to get hurt."

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"I guess not," Rachel said, biting her lip.

Before Quinn could reply, Ted and the two Berry men returned.

"Quinn, go get the hedge clippers and wheel barrow. We're going to get started."

Quinn nodded and spared one last glance at Rachel before turning to go get the things she needed. She wished she hadn't. Rachel just looked so sad, and it had sent a surprisingly sharp pain straight to her heart.

_This is going to be a long summer._

-0-0-0-

The rest of the day had turned out fairly uneventfully. Jackson and the other boy, Bill, arrived not too long after Quinn and Ted had gotten to work. They worked for most of the day, and managed to get started on the berm they were planning. It was a good beginning to a long project. All Quinn wanted to do by the end of the day was jump into the Berry's pool, clothes and all.

She hadn't seen Rachel after their short, but intense encounter at the beginning of the day. Quinn assumed that she had gone out with Finn or something. She wasn't sure why this particular thought made her grit her teeth in anger, but hey, Quinn wasn't sure why she had been doing a lot of things lately.

When Quinn finally arrived home, she completed her evening ritual of saying hello to her mother (if she was actually there), showering, and eating before settling down in her room. She was normally exhausted by this point, but for some reason, Quinn couldn't settle down. She couldn't get Rachel's eyes out of her head. She gave a frustrated growl and flipped over on her bed, pulling a pillow over her head. Quinn laid there for a few minutes, before the sound of her ringtone roused her. She didn't even bother to see who was calling.

"Hello?" Quinn grumbled.

"Q, you seriously need to get laid or something. You're so grumpy."

Quinn rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the corners of her mouth from turning up slightly. She sat up on her bed, phone still up to her ear.

"Thanks, Santana. You know I'm just jumping at the chance to get pregnant again."

"That's what condoms are for, _chica_. Or other ladies."

Quinn felt herself blush, but ignored it.

"What do you want, S?"

"Well, Britt has a dance class tonight, so I'm bored as shit. Want to get that coffee?"

"Sure. I'm wired right now any way. Lima Bean in twenty?"

"See you there. Bring your happy face, Q. I haven't seen you in a while. I miss you. And if you tell anyone I said that, I'll defenestrate you."

"Big words."

"Shut up. See you soon."

Slowly, Quinn got dressed, put on some light make-up, and ran a hand through her hair. Thank god her hair was so short, it was much easier to deal with than before. She'd have to thank Santana and Brittany again for that. Twenty minutes later, Quinn was at the Lima Bean with a vanilla frappe in hand and Santana in the seat in front of her.

"How's life, Fabray?" Santana asked, taking a sip of her coffee. Quinn shrugged and gave Santana a blank look.

"Not much going on other than work. Just trying to build myself back up, I guess."

Santana scoffed and leaned forward.

"Oh come on, Q, there's always something going on in your life. You look distracted. What's up? Are you mad that Trouty Mouth and Wheezy are dating? Because let me tell you, you can really do so much better than Sam, Finn, or Puck. Their times will come, so in the meantime, let's find you some nice college boy or something."

"It's not that," Quinn said, drawing a face in the condensation of her plastic cup, "it's just…ugh, you're going to make fun of me for this. But I can't help it. I don't have any control over the situation."

Santana cocked an eyebrow.

"Do tell. I'm listening. I can't promise I won't laugh, but I'll try."

Quinn let out a frustrated sigh and put her head in her hands.

"Okay, so you know how I told you about this project that we started today at work?" Santana nodded, her eyes flickering briefly towards an attractive young woman that had just walked through the door, before returning to Quinn. "Well, I got there today and guess whose house I'm going to be working on for a week, if not more?"

"Finn? Coach Sylvester? Because if it's Coach, she'll probably try and make you excavate for treasure or build her a fort or something."

"No…Rachel."

Santana gaped at Quinn for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Yo-you've got to be kidding me!" Santana gasped, before bursting into another peal of laughter.

"I am serious," Quinn replied with a scowl, "and that's not even the worst part."

"Oh lord," Santana wiped a tear from her eye and looked at Quinn, "what's the worst part?"

Quinn explained to Santana the short, but intense conversation that had occurred between the two. Santana listened in a surprisingly intent manner, never once interrupting with any sort of snarky or sarcastic remark.

"And I just…I feel really bad. I don't understand why it's bothering me so much."

"Let me get this straight," Santana said, "or actually, not so straight." Quinn opened her mouth to question Santana about her statement, but was cut off. "You're getting all worked up because you're feeling something other than annoyed for Berry? Look, Q, I know you've got your issues with her. I don't even know what to call the weird love-hate-whatever the fuck it is relationship you have with her. But really, it's okay to feel bad about stuff like that. I'm still learning to be more human too. It takes time. If you feel so awful, apologize to her."

"Who are you and what have you done with Santana Lopez?" Quinn asked with a mischievous smile.

"There's this really special girl named Brittany…" Santana grinned at Quinn.

"I can't believe how much you've changed since, well…"

"Since what? Realizing that I'm totally homogay for Britts? I've always been this way, Q, I just pushed everything away and put on a bitch-face because I was afraid. Once I finally embraced that, things got a little easier. That reminds me, I still need to send Holly Holiday a thank you card…but anyway. Things are still hard. I'm still afraid. But Brittany is helping me slowly push through that. There are times when I still freak out despite the fact that I'm much more comfortable than I used to, but she's patient with me. It's incredible. We're not technically calling one another our girlfriend yet, but it's only a matter of time."

"If it makes you feel any better, I knew you two were in love since I first met you."

Santana's cheeks colored slightly.

"What? How?"

"I don't know. Just…the way you looked at her, how you treated her so differently than anyone else. It's sweet, S. I know I haven't always been the most supportive, but I promise that if you guys go public with your relationship, I'll stand up for you. I don't want to lose you again."

Santana reached across the table and placed her hand over Quinn's, loosely entwining their fingers together.

"Thank you, Q."

"You're welcome…you big softie."

Santana rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away.

"Hey, Quinn?"

"Yes, Santana?"

"Fuck you."

"I'll tell Brittany."

By the end of the night, Quinn had forgotten how much she had missed Santana. Things were looking up. When Quinn returned home, she flung herself on her bed and began to think of ways to apologize to Rachel. It was going to be harder than she thought, but she was Quinn Fabray. Nothing was impossible for her.

-0-0-0-

The next day, Quinn awoke at her usual time, repeated her usual morning routine, and was on her way to the Berry's house. Today, more guys from the company had joined them since they had finally finished the previous project. By the time Quinn arrived, there were already several shirtless guys walking around, hauling wheelbarrows, shovels, and bags of dirt and mulch.

Quinn was surprised to find that surprised to find that absolutely none of them held her interest. Usually a shirtless guy, especially a good-looking one (and most of the guys who were working with her weren't too bad on the eyes either) had her attention. She couldn't find herself to pay attention to them at all. Not that it mattered. She couldn't waste time staring at sweaty, shirtless men when there was work to be done.

Around noon-time, the team broke for lunch. Quinn was dying for a glass of water. She was feeling a little light-headed. Usually, she alternated doing different jobs but today, she had mostly been bending over and hauling sacks of dirt. It was pretty tiring work, and there was absolutely no shade in the Berry's back yard. Once again, Quinn was considering jumping into the pool when no one else was paying attention. As she was walking past the porch to retrieve her lunch from her cooler, she felt a sudden wave of dizziness and nausea wash over her. The ground felt like it was tilting and the sky seemed to be moving.

_Shit._

Quinn felt herself hit the ground as blackness overtook her vision.

When Quinn awoke, her head was pounding and she was lying on the softest surface she'd ever felt. Moaning, she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.

_Whoa, that was a mistake._

She immediately laid back down as another wave of dizziness overtook her. Where the hell was she? Soft bed, yellow walls, Broadway posters…Oh no.

"I see that you've finally awoken."

Quinn looked towards the door, where Rachel had just entered. She was holding a bottle of water and a plate with a sandwich on it. Quinn's stomach growled loudly when she saw the food, and she couldn't help but grimace.

"Why am I in your room?"

Rachel sat the plate down on her bureau and cracked open the water bottle. She walked over to Quinn and sat down on the bed next to her. Quinn once again slowly tried to sit up, and managed to avoid becoming dizzy. Rachel handed her the water bottled, which she took several large gulps from.

"You fainted while working outside. My daddy, Leroy, is a doctor. After we moved you to the living room, he checked you out and determined that due to a lack of hydration, food, and most likely too much heat, caused you to pass out. With proper rest and hydration you will be perfectly fine, so instead of bringing you to the hospital and wasting your money, I offered my room for you to recover in. Your boss said that once you woke up to take the rest of the day off. Possibly tomorrow too, if you needed it. He's a very kind man."

Quinn gulped the rest of the water down and set the empty bottle next to her on the bed. She ran a hand through her hair before looking at Rachel.

"Um…thank you. You didn't have to do any of that."

"Nonsense, Quinn. I would have done the same for anyone. Would you like that sandwich? I made it in case you were hungry when you woke up. It's a BLT. Noah once mentioned that you were fond of bacon."

Quinn's stomach let out another embarrassingly loud growl.

"That would be fantastic. Thank you."

Rachel got up and retrieved the sandwich for Quinn, who immediately set into it. Rachel was fairly certain she had never seen anyone devour a sandwich so quickly. It was slightly endearing. When Quinn had finished the sandwich, Rachel took the plate from her and set it back on her bureau. When she turned back around, Quinn was regarding her with a curious stare.

"Is something wrong? Are you feeling dizzy again? I can call daddy if you nee-"

"No, I'm fine, Rachel," Quinn said with a wave of her hand. "I just…I don't understand."

"What don't you understand, Quinn?"

Quinn found that she liked hearing her name roll off of Rachel's tongue. She couldn't quite figure out when she had noticed that.

"Why are you being so nice to me? God knows I don't deserve it."

Rachel frowned and sat back down on the bed.

"I've learned to let things go. The things that people say to me don't make a difference. I'm going to be out of here in a year, Quinn. I can't let words hold me back from my dream. And besides, you deserve to be forgiven just like anyone else does. You're human, Quinn. We all make mistakes."

They were silent for a few moments, while Quinn stared down at her hands. She looked back up at Rachel, who was still regarding her with an unwavering stare. Quinn knew that it should have made her uncomfortable, but it didn't. She thought back to what Santana had said, and realized that now would be an opportune time for an apology. She opened her mouth to speak, then paused and closed it again before regaining her courage and responding.

"I'm sorry."

Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"May I ask what for?"

"For everything. For all the name calling, the slushies, the drawings, the undermining, the-" Quinn paused for a moment and looked away. "-the slap. I'm sorry for it all. If there was a better word for sorry, I'd use that too. You didn't deserve to have any of that thrown at you. You deserve so much better."

The faintest hint of a smile appeared on Rachel's face.

"Not that I don't accept and appreciate everything that you've just said, because I do, but why are you telling me all this now? I realize that we had at least become more tolerant of each other near the end of the year, but never as much as to warrant the conversation we're having now."

Quinn pushed the blankets off of her and sat straight up. She focused on Rachel, who she noticed shuddered slightly under her intense gaze.

"This summer…I want to make it about repairing what I've broken. I want to make myself a better person. I wasn't in a very good place at the end of the year, Rachel. I mean, I _slapped _you. I almost ruined Nationals for us. I would have if it weren't for Santana and Brittany. "Rachel's eyes widened at this, but she let Quinn continue. "I don't want to be that girl any more, the one who uses people for popularity and image. That's not me. Yesterday when I got home, I felt really awful about the things I said to you. It dredged up a lot of what occurred during the year and I just…I don't know.

Rachel, I'm so lonely. I don't want to push away opportunities to be friends with people anymore. I'm the way I am because of my own doing. I…damn it, I'm sorry. I don't know how many times I have to say it."

Quinn looked away, slightly embarrassed that she had rambled. She had meant for things to come out a little more eloquently. Quinn raised her eyes back to Rachel, who was looking at her with a soft sort of smile. It made Quinn's heart flutter in the most unexpected way.

"You don't have to keep apologizing, Quinn. And like I told you so long ago…you don't have to be embarrassed. I have a proposition for you."

"If you're going to ask me to sing a duet with you, I'd at least like to wait until I'm not dizzy from sun poisoning or whatever."

Rachel burst into a peal of laughter, which Quinn couldn't help but join her in. She pretended not to notice when the tips of Rachel's fingers slid over hers.

"Duly noted," Rachel said after she was done laughing, "but that's not what I was going to say. My proposition is that we could start over. Forget all the crap we've done to one another, said to each other. _Tabula Rasa_, Quinn."

Quinn smiled at Rachel, suddenly thrumming with an odd sort of energy. She wondered if Rachel could feel it too.

"Can we still remember the good times we've had? I don't think anyone has ever been so kind to me as you were at prom."

Much to Quinn's surprise, Rachel blushed.

"I suppose that would be okay. Despite the fact that your words weren't entirely kind, the things you said to me before I wrote _Get It Right _for Regionals were a large part of the inspiration that I used to compose it."

"I'm sor-"

"I told you, Quinn, no more 'I'm sorry.' I've forgiven you. I suppose I shouldn't have brought that particular incident back up, so I should be apologizing if anyone."

Again, there was an awkward silence.

"Are we friends now?" Quinn asked.

Rachel cocked her head to the side.

"Only if you want to be."

"…I want to be."

Rachel gave Quinn a huge, toothy grin.

"We're friends then. First on my list of friendly things to do for you is get you another bottle of water. You need to stay hydrated. Feel free to stay here for as long as you need. I don't have any plans for the day. If you wanted to, we could even watch a movie."

"That sounds…great, actually. You don't have to get water for me, I can get it myself."

"I insist. I'll be back in a moment with your water and as many movies as I can carry."

And with that, Rachel was out the door, leaving Quinn with a very confusing stew of emotions. They weren't bad emotions, just…different. She supposed she would have to get used to it.

-0-0-0-

The rest of the day passed by fairly quickly. Rachel stayed true to her word and brought Quinn back water as well as a huge stack of movies to watch. Quinn wasn't even sure how she had managed to carry them up the stairs. Rachel catered to Quinn's needs, claiming that after fainting, she really shouldn't do anything that would exert her physically. This bothered Quinn at first, but she figured it was easier to relent to Rachel than to fight her.

When Quinn finally felt okay enough to leave, she felt strangely comforted. For the first time in her life, Quinn could say that she actually had a group of friends who truly cared for her. It was a bit overwhelming. It wasn't the fact that she had friends….it was the fact that she didn't prior to that. Quinn felt herself beginning to heal.

This was a good start.

Quinn found it ironic that the person who brought her to her breaking points could also be the one to help her pull herself together again. But really, the more Quinn thought about the whole situation, the less surprised she found herself.

Rachel had just always sort of been there. When Quinn had transferred to McKinley her freshman year, new nose, new body, and new (cutthroat) outlook on life, Rachel had been the first person that she had met.

_Newly transferred and prepared to dominate the hallways McKinley, Quinn (most definitely NOT Lucy, never again would she be Lucy!) Fabray was a shining example of what every parent secretly hoped that their child would be. Quinn held her head high as she walked through the double doors of the school. She walked in, head held high and the swagger of a future HBIC in her arsenal. _

_ She turned heads._

_ Quinn couldn't help but smirk._

_ She knew she was going to rule this place._

_ Quinn made her way to her locker, careful not to look lost or confused about her whereabouts, despite the fact that she really had no idea where freshmen lockers located. She didn't realize she was going to be late for her first day of high school until the bell was ringing and all of the students dispersed throughout the halls had disappeared as quickly as they came._

_ "Crap," she muttered, shifting her messenger bag on her shoulder. So much for making a good impression on her homeroom teacher. Oh well. When she was a Cheerio, it wouldn't matter. Quinn had done her research and knew that the cheerleading coach had a reputation for a reason. Once she made the Cheerios, she would be untouchable._

_ When Quinn finally found her locker, she faced another obstacle: getting the damn thing open. She had tried the combination a few times and it seemed right, but the door just wouldn't give. She would have to talk to the janitor or something when she got the chance. For the moment, Quinn settled for a low growl and banging her fist into the metal door._

_ "Having trouble with your locker?" A melodious voice rang out from next to her. Quinn nearly jumped. She snapped her head around to the source of the voice, nearly giving herself whiplash in the process. _

_ To her left stood a petite brunette wearing the most hideous sweater and biggest grin Quinn had ever seen. The girl also smelled a little like garbage. She seemed to sense Quinn's confusion and with a downcast expression muttered, "Some football players threw me into the garbage before class started."_

_ The expression on the girl's face sent a wave of pity throughout Quinn. What had this girl done to deserve getting thrown in the trash on the first day of school? If the bullies here were really that vicious (not that Quinn didn't have any experience in dealing with bullies; she most certainly did.), she really would have no other choice but to make the Cheerios. If not for her reputation, at least for her safety. She had gotten trash thrown _at _her at her old school, but not thrown _in _the trash._

_ "Um…it's okay. Are you all right?" Quinn asked, trying to avoid making a snarky comment about the moose sweater the girl was wearing. Or her plaid skirt (…really short plaid skirt). Or white tights. Or penny loafers. Christ, was this girl trying to imitate a five year old or a senior citizen?_

_ "Oh, I'm perfectly fine. It was only a minor setback to today's schedule. I can simply inform the teacher that I was held back due to unavoidable circumstances such as being lost in the hallways or," she gave Quinn another toothy grin, "unable to open my locker."_

_ Quinn flushed and gave the brunette and glare. Secretly, she was amused. She would never let this nerd know that, though. Quinn turned back to her locker to attempt to wrangle it open. So much for making home room._

_ "What's your name?" The girl asked while opening up her own locker with ease._

_ "Quinn Fabray," Quinn said, turning and regarding the girl with a cool gaze._

_ "I'm Rachel Berry," she said, holding out a hand for Quinn to shake. Quinn did so. Rachel's hands were very soft. "Nice to meet you, Quinn Fabray. Looks like our lockers are close enough to one another so that we will be seeing one another every day. I hope our new acquaintanceship can evolve into a friendship."_

_ Instead of another toothy grin like she was expecting, Quinn received a soft, almost shy smile. The girl's eyes held a hint of desperation. Quinn felt her stomach suddenly give way to what felt like about a thousand butterflies. What the hell?_

_ "Here, let me help you. Sometimes these lockers haven't been properly oiled and the hinges get stuck. Mine did this all the time in middle school, and they look about the same kind." _

_ Rachel sidled up next to Quinn and with an unprecedented show of speed and strength, yanked the door open. She nodded at Quinn again, and with a flip of her too-short skirt, was walking down the hallway towards first (almost second) period._

_ Quinn stood and watched her go._

_ This girl was who Quinn used to be (similar nose, but overall much better good-looking. Rachel really was very pretty.). All hopes and dreams, but no friends or support to help her stay sane in the process of achieving those dreams. Yet, there was something different about her. Rachel Berry, this girl with her moose sweaters, and brilliant smiles, this girl that was thrown into a dumpster on the first day of school…she was going to make it out of Lima and never look back. _

_ Quinn wanted to hate her._

_ She couldn't._

_ She settled for making Rachel Berry's life a living hell instead._

Snapping out of her reverie, Quinn couldn't help but let the guilt flood through her. Honestly, she deserved it. She wasn't sure why she had felt so threatened by Rachel. Maybe she was jealous. Who knew at this point? All that mattered was that she was trying to fix things. She was trying to be a good person. It was an admirable goal and she was making progress. She had the rest of the summer to make progress as well.

Quinn fell asleep surprisingly quickly that night, despite all of the conflicting emotions coursing through her brain.

-0-0-0-

Even though Ted had recommended she take the next day off if needed, Quinn couldn't afford to lose the money. And besides, she felt fine. And she definitely did _not _have a strangely powerful desire to see Rachel again. Definitely not. Well, maybe a little. Okay, Quinn really wanted to see Rachel again today. Color her pleasantly surprised when Quinn walked through the gate of the Berry's backyard and found Rachel sitting on the pool deck in a small, red bikini.

"A little early for tanning, isn't it?" Quinn joked, coming up behind Rachel. The small brunette let out a small squeak and jumped slightly.

"Quinn Fabray! You nearly made me fall out of my chair!"

Quinn chuckled and rolled her eyes playfully.

"You wouldn't have even fallen a foot. I think you'd survive."

"I'm a delicate young lady," Rachel quipped, standing up. "How are you this morning? Are you early? I don't see anyone else here yet."

Quinn fought the urge to take a step closer to Rachel, and instead let her eyes (shielded by sunglasses, of course) slide over Rachel's bikini clad body. Quinn once again found herself asking why, but pushed the question to the back of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I got here a little early."

"You should rest after yesterday!" Rachel said, crossing her arms.

"Maybe I wanted to be able to talk to you before the day started. We are friends now, after all."

Rachel beamed.

"Of course, silly me. And to answer your question, I wasn't tanning. I applied a generous amount of sunscreen before I entered the pool area. I had planned to swim in a brief amount of time, but first wanted to warm up. Daddy likes to keep it very cold in the house, and I didn't want to jump in the water when I already had goosebumps."

"Right…" Quinn couldn't help but smile at Rachel's long-winded explanation. What once used to annoy her to no end she was now finding to be adorable. "Well, I don't know what time we'll be done here today, probably around six. But I was wondering…would you maybe like to go get dinner or something afterwards?"

Rachel's smile was practically blinding.

"Of course I'd love to have dinner with you, Miss Fabray. I know a place across town that offers a wonderful selection of traditional as well as vegan entrees. Is that okay with you?"

"That sounds fantastic," Quinn said, running a hand through her hair.

"Fabray! You're here early. Come help me get a few shovels out of my truck and we can get started!" Ted's voice rang out from across the yard.

Quinn sighed, waved at him, and turned back to Rachel.

"There's my cue. Look, I'll see you later, okay? I mean, I'll see you in like, two minutes but you know what I mean. Have a good day."

Rachel giggled and sat back down on her chair. Quinn nodded and turned to leave to help Ted with the equipment. She tried to convince herself that the tingles at the base of her spine were anything but Rachel's eyes watching her as she left.

-0-0-0-

"You were going to get Kurt and me disqualified?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide. Quinn groaned and smacked her hand on her forehead.

"I told you…I wasn't exactly in a great place. But you can thank Brittany and Santana for saving you. They convinced me to calm down enough and think things over. And then I got a haircut, so really, it was a win-win for everyone."

Rachel snorted into her glass of water, and Quinn felt laughter bubble up in her own chest. Having friends really was a great thing. When they were both done giggling, Rachel looked back up at Quinn.

"Quinn, I know we're just starting at this friends thing, and forgive me if I'm crossing a line, but…are you okay?"

"Am I okay?"

"Yes, I mean…you've been through so much and you're only seventeen. Boyfriends, your mother and father, Beth," Quinn's eyes fluttered at the mention of Beth, but she kept her face neutral. "I just…I want you to be okay."

Quinn thought for a moment, unsure of whether to be angry or touched at Rachel's probing question. She knew that Rachel was only looking out for her well-being, so she responded in kind.

"Rachel…that's a bit of a loaded question, don't you think?" Rachel dipped her head, clearly embarrassed. "But, I'm glad you care. I guess…well…I'm sad sometimes, Rachel. But who isn't?"

"Do you think about her often?"

Quinn didn't have to ask who Rachel was referring to.

"Every day."

Rachel fell silent again, her brow scrunched in deep thought. Quinn thought it was kind of adorable.

"You're my friend now, Quinn, and I love you. So when you're sad, will you tell me? I know I'm a bit forward and this is new, but I care. I really do. I meant it when I said that I thought you were a beautiful person. You deserve happiness and I want to do my best to keep you happy."

Quinn leaned forward and put her chin on her hand. She smiled at Rachel, feeling as if something within her chest had just bloomed and exploded to every limb in her body.

"I don't know how I ever managed to dislike you."

-0-0-0-

It was Friday, and as usual Quinn was working at the Berry residence. She often found herself wondering what her summer would have been like if she hadn't been assigned this particular job. Sure, she would have been at least moderately happy, but Rachel Berry was beginning to bring sunshine into her life that she didn't know existed.

It was weird. For the millionth time, Quinn found herself thinking about how differently she had thought of Rachel just a week ago. She didn't want to go back there, not ever. Life was looking up too much for her to want to give it up.

Rachel, bless her heart, was working really hard to show her dedication to Quinn, but also trying not to cross any lines that their friendship wasn't ready for yet. Such questions included those about Puck, her family, and Beth, but Quinn could practically see Rachel clamp her hand over her mouth whenever a question relating to any of the subjects came to mind…which was often. Quinn couldn't help but be touched at Rachel's efforts to keep her from feeling any discomfort.

On this particular Friday, Quinn had arrived a little early as usual (to talk to Rachel beforehand, of course), worked hard on scraping the ground to create a very specifically shaped berm the Berry men wanted, and had just finished flinging a shovel full of dirt over her shoulder when Ted called for lunch. As was customary, Quinn checked for Rachel who was usually around with some sort of beverage for the working crew. Today she was nowhere to be found. Quinn shrugged and headed over to the porch, where she had set her lunch pack and cell phone. She pulled out a turkey and bacon sandwich, and then flipped open her phone.

**1 new message from Santana**

Quinn checked the message section on her phone.

**Santana: U R hanging with me and Britts tonight. No choice. We R gonna party.**

** Quinn (You): You only use text speak to bother me, don't you? And sure, I'll come. Whose house this time? My mom is home tonight, so mine is out of the question.**

** Santana: Yes. Yes I do. And it's at my place. I'll be providing the booze. Don't worry; no one will get you pregnant this time.**

** Quinn (You): Har har har. I guess I should count my blessings. **

** Santana: Great. See you around 7:30.**

Quinn set her phone down and laid into her sandwich. For the most part, the men (boys, really) that she worked with had learned to leave her alone, especially around lunch. She had the reputation of looking sharp and having an even sharper tongue. It was best just to leave her be.

When Quinn had just about finished with her food, Rachel appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Quinn was learning that this was a skill of the brunette's. She smiled widely at Quinn, though her eyes narrowed when she saw a remnant of bacon.

"Please," Quinn said jokingly, "refrain from scolding me about the cruelties of eating bacon. It's that vegan stuff you suggested, I promise. I checked it out and it really does taste just like the real thing."

Rachel gave Quinn her brightest smile and sat down in the chair next to her.

"I'm so glad to hear that you've decided to alter your life in a small way so as not to affect the poor animals who are harmed in the making of meat products."

"Small steps, small fry. I still love hamburgers."

"I guess a little at a time isn't too much to ask of you…" Rachel rolled her eyes. "But, I'm so glad to see you here, Quinn!"

"Rachel, I've been here every day since the start of the week."

"I know that. But, I was wondering if you'd like to join me tonight. My fathers and I usually have a movie night on Fridays, but regretfully, they'll be gone for the weekend. I thought this might be the perfect opportunity for a sleepover."

Quinn smiled at Rachel's enthusiasm, but then frowned when she remembered the plans she had made with Santana only moments earlier.

"Sorry, Rachel. I already have plans." Rachel's face fell, and Quinn had to fight not to stand up and give her a bone-crushing hug. She figured Rachel wouldn't appreciate all the dirt and grime she was covered in, however. Instead, she tried to remedy the situation. "But wait! I can…well. If you'd be up to it…I had plans with Santana and Brittany tonight. Just a little get-together at Santana's house. I could ask if you could come along. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

Rachel hesitated a moment, clearly wondering if anyone would be able to find her body if Santana murdered her in her sleep. Quinn giggled at the expression on her face.

"Santana won't kill you, I promise. Brittany and I will be there. They both actually really like you."

Rachel's eyebrows nearly shot off of her forehead.

"They do?"

"Yes. Santana shows her affection in unusual ways. And Brittany…Brittany is Brittany and I promise that she likes you. So would you like me to ask?"

Rachel shook her head vigorously. Quinn picked up her phone and pulled up a blank message.

**Quinn (You): Hey, Santana?**

** Santana: What is, Mother Theresa?**

** Quinn (You): So about tonight…**

** Santana: Don't you dare cancel on me, Fabray. Britts was looking forward to seeing you and so was I.**

** Quinn (You): I'm not! I was just wondering if I could bring a guest…?**

** Santana: …Fine, you can bring Rachel. But if she starts singing show tunes, I'm locking her in the pantry. And she has to drink. She can't just sit there twiddling her thumbs.**

** Quinn (You): How did you know it was Rachel?**

** Santana: Call it intuition. See you and the dwarf later.**

** Quinn (You): Don't call her that.**

Quinn snapped her phone shut and looked up at Rachel, who was looking down at the table.

"Rachel?"

"Yes, Quinn?"

"She said you can come." Rachel pumped her fist in the air and Quinn smirked. "But you have to drink with us."

The smile immediately dropped off of Rachel's face.

"But…I swore off alcohol ever since that disaster with Ke$ha…"

"I know. But those are Santana's rules. I'll look out for you, don't worry. Besides, it's just the three of us. Nothing bad will happen."

-0-0-0-

"Well well well, look who decided to show up!" Santana exclaimed after flinging the door open.

"Hey, Santana. Sorry we're a bit late. Work ran longer than usual and then I had to shower and get dressed."

"Yeah yeah, I'm sure that's why you took so long," Santana replied with a smirk. Quinn glared at her, not fully understanding what the Latina was implying. Santana's gaze made its way over to Rachel, who stood nervously next to Quinn. "Hey, what's up Tiny?"

Rachel smiled at Santana, obviously expecting a sharper greeting.

"Not much, Santana. Thank you very much for allowing me to tag along tonight."

"Yeah. _Mi casa su casa _and all that bullshit. You can put your bags over here and come on into the den. Britt has all the shot glasses lined up and ready to go. We're doing Jaeger Bombs first."

Quinn could practically feel Rachel tense behind her. She could only imagine the abject terror that was coursing through the girl's veins at the thought of combining energy drinks and alcohol. Quinn turned around.

"Calm down, Rach." The use of a nickname seemed to relax her slightly. "I promised that you would be okay, remember?"

Rachel nodded and gave Quinn a tight smile. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"You two quit making out back there and get your asses in here. I wants to gets my drink on!"

Both girls turned bright red and immediately retreated to the den to partake in the underage shenanigans that were about to begin.

Six shots later, shenanigans were certainly occurring.

"Rachel, truth or dare?" Santana asked. Brittany, who was draped over Santana's shoulders, giggled loudly. Quinn groaned. Nothing good ever came of truth or dare with Santana and Brittany.

"Um…Truth!" Rachel exclaimed, her eyes glassy and cheeks flushed.

"Fine. How far have you gone with Finn?"

"Santana! That is none of your business!"

"If you don't answer, it's a dare. And if you don't do the dare, you have to do four more shots."

"Fine," Rachel pouted. "To answer your question, before Finn and I broke up a few weeks ago-" Quinn, Santana, and Brittany all rolled their eyes at the same time, "-we got to…third base."

Santana gagged and rolled her eyes again.

"Booooring! But that will do for now, Berry. I suppose it's your turn."

"Fine. Santana: truth or dare?"

Santana grinned wickedly.

"Bring it on, Tiny. Dare."

Rachel tapped her chin for a moment, and then lit up.

"I know! Santana, I dare you to kiss Brittany right here."

"Oh please, Berry. Like Brittany and I haven't done much worse in front of larger groups of people. You're going to need to step up your game."

With that, Brittany slid to the floor next to Santana, and pulled her in for a kiss. Leaving no room for a peck on the lips, Santana immediately opened her mouth to receive Brittany. The two sat there for a moment, kissing like there was no tomorrow. This was nothing new to Quinn. She glanced over at Rachel and couldn't help but notice the girl looked a little more flushed than before. Maybe she was getting overheated?

"Hey, horny bitches. I'm going to take Rachel outside for some air. We'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Brittany didn't respond while Santana only flipped her the bird. Quinn scoffed and stood up. She held her hand out to Rachel, who took it and stood on wobbly legs. They slowly made their way to the Lopez backyard. Rachel plopped down on a bench, and Quinn slid next to her. The alcohol was making her feel surprisingly pleasant. She usually just felt like yelling at people about her stretch marks. Quinn found herself getting lost in the moonlight when she felt Rachel lean into her. She glanced down and sure enough, Rachel was cuddling into her shoulder.

For lack of a better phrase, it was freaking adorable.

"Falling asleep there, Rach?" Quinn asked with a smile.

"No…" Rachel mumbled. "Trying to make the world stop spinning for a minute. Trying not to think about things."

Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"What sort of things?"

"My life. Who I am. Why Finn…why he doesn't really matter to me very much anymore."

"I don't want to pry, Rachel. But you can talk about things you need to get off your chest. We're friends now, remember?"

Rachel looked up at Quinn and slowly leaned up, brushing her lips against Quinn's cheek. Quinn told herself that the warm fuzzies she was suddenly feeling were from the alcohol.

"Thank you. Despite the fact that I'm at a very confusing place in my life right now, I've felt incredibly happy this past week."

"Why are you so confused?"

Rachel sighed and placed her hand on Quinn's thigh. Quinn found she didn't mind it at all.

"Things changed this summer. You're aware of how Finn and I drifted, of course. But after this year when we got back together…I thought we would be okay. But we weren't. Things felt too different. I'm afraid to say that I'm no longer attracted to him in that way, and that threw a bit of a wrench into the system."

"Do you have feelings for someone else?"

Rachel paused and pulled away from Quinn. Quinn wanted to pull Rachel back in, but resisted.

"I suppose I might be developing feelings for someon-"

"Hey, Rachel? Quinn? Santana told me to tell you to come back inside because we're done and she wants the game to start again."

"That was fast," Quinn said.

"Oh, that's because I did that thing with my ton-"

"Not the time, Britt-Britt!" Santana shouted from inside the house. The girls headed back inside towards the den, where they found a very relaxed-looking Santana who was sporting a few new hickies. Quinn smirked at Santana, who for the third time that evening, rolled her eyes. "What? Don't look at me like that, Fabgay. Tiny dared us to get our mack on and we did. This is not our fault."

"Christ, Santana. What is with the nicknames this evening?"

"Whatever. Let's get back to the game. It's my turn, so I get to choose the lucky person. And that person is…Quinnie. Truth or dare?"

Quinn sighed.

"Truth."

"L-A-Fucking-M-E. Come on, Quinn. We know your secrets already. Live a little. Be brave."

Quinn narrowed her eyes at Santana, but took the bait.

"Fine. Dare. Whatever."

Santana grinned.

"Excellent. Quinn, I dare you to do a body shot off Rachel."

Quinn gaped, and Rachel nearly choked on the sip of water she happened to be taking.

"Are you crazy? No."

"Oh, Quinnie. If you refuse, I get to choose a different dare. And trust me, I have a few in mind that are much more…expressive, if you will."

Quinn pinched the bridge of her nose. The ground was starting to spin underneath her.

"Fine. But only if Rachel is okay with it."

All eyes turned to the small brunette.

"Um…I…It's perfectly okay with me. Let me just…" Rachel stammered. She removed the jacket she was wearing (she had let Quinn help her pick out an outfit, thank the lord) and revealed the tank top underneath. Still grinning, Santana ran to the kitchen to fetch the un-opened bottle of tequila Puck had gotten for her, as well as some salt and a slice of lime. A few moments later, she returned with the items.

"Tiny, take this slice of lime, put it in your mouth, and lay down on the floor. And pull up your shirt too. We's gonna needs to see that tummy." Rachel did as Santana instructed. Quinn took the bottle of tequila and the salt from Santana. "You know what to do, Q."

"I hate you," Quinn hissed before shaking a bit of the salt onto her hand and licking it up. She then unscrewed the bottle and leaned over Rachel. Before spilling the liquid onto her stomach, she chanced a glance up at the glare below her. She looked ready. Quinn tilted the bottled and leaned down.

The first taste of tequila in the evening is never a pleasant one, and Quinn found herself scrunching her nose. But, wait? What was this? Rachel's stomach was surprisingly…addictive. It was smooth and soft, and underneath the taste of distilled agave it was slightly sweet. She was enjoying this little…whatever was happening.

"Hey, Quinn?" Brittany piped up. Quinn glanced up from Rachel and found Brittany looking like she was about to laugh, while Santana looked slightly aroused. "You're supposed to get the lime from her mouth now."

Quinn blushed, not realizing how long she had spent cleaning the alcohol from Rachel's stomach. She set the bottle down next to Rachel's body and moved up. Rachel's eyes were wide, and slightly cloudy. Quinn couldn't help but notice how dilated her pupils were. She leaned down to take the slice of lime from Rachel's mouth. She gingerly took the slice from between Rachel's teeth, but couldn't quite stop herself from leaning a bit farther than she needed to go. Quinn closed her eyes when she felt Rachel's lips barely, _just barely_, graze against hers.

Quinn pulled away, the slice of lime in her mouth.

Santana whistled, then cackled.

"That was hot," Brittany said, placing her hand on Santana's leg. Rachel sat up, rubbing her head and blushing heavily.

"Not going to lie, Q. It was hot indeed."

Quinn glared at Santana, who only laughed more.

-0-0-0-

The night continued with a few more dares, and before they knew it, both Brittany and Rachel had passed out. Santana kissed Brittany softly until she woke up, and they both went up to Santana's room.

"Take the couch, Q. If you're going to fuck Tiny, at least put a sheet down or something. My family sits there."

Quinn threw her shoe at a snickering Santana, who quickly darted up the stairs after Brittany. Now, to get Rachel up. Quinn kneeled next to the sleeping girl and gently pushed on her shoulder. She moaned softly and rolled over. Her eyes opened.

"Hey, sleepy. Want to move to the couch?"

Rachel mumbled something that sounded like a yes. Quinn helped her sit up and move to the couch. When she turned to go find a pillow and blanket for the floor, Rachel stopped her.

"Will you sleep with me?" She asked softly. Quinn turned back around. She wanted to say no. She already felt a bit awkward about how much she really enjoyed their…experience earlier. But Rachel looked so warm and soft and so darn _cuddly_.

"Okay," she said, climbing onto the couch behind Rachel. Quinn heard Rachel sigh contentedly as she slipped her arm around the smaller girl's waist. This was probably going to be a bit strange in the morning.

But for now, it was okay.

* * *

><p>Let me know your thoughts?<p> 


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